Bees are amazing creatures of nature that are endowed with various amazing and interesting features. If you are fascinated by this remarkable insect, then you will love these 10 fun facts about bees.
Fun Facts About Bees for Children
1. A single bee can weigh as much as 0.00025 pounds. A total of 4,000 bees when considered together can weigh just one pound. A single beehive can have between 50,000 and 60,000 bees with a total weight of 12 pounds.
2. One bee can make as much as a tablespoon of honey in its entire lifetime. About 683 bees cover a distance of approximately 32,550 miles to fetch about 6 pounds of nectar from over 1 million flowers to make about a 9.5 oz. Jar of honey.
3. The total speed of a bee can be as high as 12 miles per hour. On each foraging mission, a bee can visit between 50 and 100 flowers just to get nectar.
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4. Bees help maintain the temperature of their hive between 93 and 95 degrees all year. They cool and heat their hives at the respective times during the year. As cold-blooded animals, bees are forced to maintain the temperature of their hive. When the weather is cold, they come together to generate heat using their body to keep the hive warm. If there are cracks in the hive, they seal these using propolis. When the weather is warm, the bees get water and circle up around the entrance to the hive. The bees then fan up the water with their wings – which evaporates into the air. As the evaporated water cools the air, this cool air is then fanned to circulate their hive – this action provides some type of air conditioning to keep the hive cool.
5. The queen bee usually lays about 800,000 eggs throughout her lifetime. The life of the queen is dedicated to producing young bees. The only time she leaves her hive is when she wants to mate.
6. Bees are very tidy insects. They can be very meticulous. They are known to keep their hives excellently clean. They also help groom each other.
7. The honeycomb from the bees comes hexagonal – this is the most efficient and functional shape ever known. While built with a delicate and thin structure, it can hold a considerable amount of weight.
8. Whenever you see bees dancing, they are communicating.
9. Bees are known to steal honey from other hives. If they do not have enough honey of their own, bees can decide to raid another hive for more supplies. If the guard bee in charge of the foreign hive detects that they are bees from a different hive, there is usually a battle. When bees fight, there is usually stinging which can lead to death. However, bees can gain access to a hive without being noticed. If this happens, it will acquire the distinct scent of the foreign hive. This way, it can successfully steal the honey and get away undetected.
10. Bees usually sleep outside the nest. They flap their wings a total of 11,400 times every minute. This is what causes the distinct buzzing sound of the bees.
